Wednesday, February 07, 2018

— A runny nose, cough, sore throat, breathing problems, fever, headache, diarrhea: If you came down with these symptoms in the middle of winter, you’d probably assume it’s the flu and take to your bed immediately. Think again.

Another family of viruses, known as adenoviruses, often mimic the common seasonal sickness. Though they are similar, there are differences between the two. Adenoviruses, unlike the flu, are not seasonal and can cause illness throughout the year. And while an adenovirus vaccine exists, it’s available only to military recruits.

What are the symptoms?
“Most of the time, adenoviruses produce influenza-like illness with cough and runny nose and feeling crummy, but you get better,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. “But they can also cause conjunctivitis and, particularly in children, diarrhea.”

Pinkeye (conjunctivitis) is another symptom that can result from an adenovirus infection, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other signs of illness include inflammation of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis), bladder infections and bronchitis. When your airways become filled with mucus, they may start to spasm, which causes coughing and shortness of breath; this is bronchitis. Some people will develop pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, as a consequence of an adenovirus infection, Schaffner said. “Of all the cases of pneumonia that occur in adults, about 5% are actually probably caused by adenovirus.”

In a worst-case scenario, adenovirus could cause neurologic symptoms, including encephalitis — an inflammation of the brain — and meningitis — an inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain. This is very rare, says the CDC, and only infants, people with existing respiratory or cardiac disease or patients with weakened immune systems, such as those who have recently undergone chemotherapy, would be likely to develop such serious illness. In extremely unusual cases, an adenovirus infection could result in death. That said, most adenovirus infections are mild, with symptoms usually lasting about 10 days, according to the CDC. And for most patients, home remedies and over-the-counter medicines to relieve the symptoms will be the only treatment necessary.-more